German engineers achieved the first successful launch of a V-2 rocket 70 years ago, on Oct. 2, 1942. The V-2 was the world's first combat ballistic missile and became the basis for future U.S. and Soviet missiles and rockets. less

German engineers achieved the first successful launch of a V-2 rocket 70 years ago, on Oct. 2, 1942. The V-2 was the world's first combat ballistic missile and became the basis for future U.S. and Soviet ... more

Photo: NASA

German engineers achieved the first successful launch of a V-2... Photo-3536920.50016 - seattlepi.com

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The German research station in Peenemunde, on the tip of Usedom Island, in the Baltic Sea, is shown in a British Royal Air Force reconnaissance view of the research station on June 1944. Engineer Wernher von Braun led a team that developed the V-2 at Peenemunde. In the photo, A marks light flack, B marks rocket transport cradles and C marks two rockets. less

The German research station in Peenemunde, on the tip of Usedom Island, in the Baltic Sea, is shown in a British Royal Air Force reconnaissance view of the research station on June 1944. Engineer Wernher von ... more

Photo: Keystone, Getty Images

The German research station in Peenemunde, on the tip of Usedom... Photo-3536894.50016 - seattlepi.com

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This German cutaway drawing of the V-2 illustrates the dimensions and internal workings of the rocket. Originally called the originally named the Aggregate-4 (A-4), Adolf Hitler renamed the rocket "Vengeance Weapon 2." The V-1 was an early cruise missile. less

This German cutaway drawing of the V-2 illustrates the dimensions and internal workings of the rocket. Originally called the originally named the Aggregate-4 (A-4), Adolf Hitler renamed the rocket "Vengeance ... more

Photo: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

This German cutaway drawing of the V-2 illustrates the dimensions... Photo-3536908.50016 - seattlepi.com

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A German V-2 is shown in a launcher in 1945.

A German V-2 is shown in a launcher in 1945.

Photo: Keystone, Getty Images

A German V-2 is shown in a launcher in 1945. Photo-3536896.50016 - seattlepi.com

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A German V-2 is shown rocket ready for launching at Cuxhaven in Luneburg district, Lower Saxony, in 1945.

A German V-2 is shown rocket ready for launching at Cuxhaven in Luneburg district, Lower Saxony, in 1945.

Photo: Fox Photos, Getty Images

A German V-2 is shown rocket ready for launching at Cuxhaven in... Photo-3536899.50016 - seattlepi.com

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Damage is shown after a V-2 hit the Central Markets in Farringdon Road, London, in 1945. Germany launched almost 3,000 V-2s against England, France, and Belgium.

Damage is shown after a V-2 hit the Central Markets in Farringdon Road, London, in 1945. Germany launched almost 3,000 V-2s against England, France, and Belgium.

Photo: Fox Photos, Getty Images

Damage is shown after a V-2 hit the Central Markets in Farringdon... Photo-3536897.50016 - seattlepi.com

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Injured civilians are assisted by rescue workers after a German V-2 rocket exploded in Farringdon Road, London, in 1945.

Injured civilians are assisted by rescue workers after a German V-2 rocket exploded in Farringdon Road, London, in 1945.

Photo: Keystone, Getty Images

Injured civilians are assisted by rescue workers after a German V-2... Photo-3536906.50016 - seattlepi.com

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Wernher Von Braun -- with his arm in a cast after it was broken in a car accident -- surrenders to U.S. Army Counterintelligence personnel in Ruette, Austria on May 2, 1945. Von Braun's brother Magnus is to his right. As the Allies captured Germany from the east and west, both the United
States and the Soviet Union were eager to capture von Braun and
other German rocket engineers. less

Wernher Von Braun -- with his arm in a cast after it was broken in a car accident -- surrenders to U.S. Army Counterintelligence personnel in Ruette, Austria on May 2, 1945. Von Braun's brother Magnus is to his ... more

Photo: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Collection

Wernher Von Braun -- with his arm in a cast after it was broken in... Photo-3536903.50016 - seattlepi.com

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U.S. Army soldiers inspect the control mechanism of a captured V-2 at Bomskirchen, Germany, in 1945.

U.S. Army soldiers inspect the control mechanism of a captured V-2 at Bomskirchen, Germany, in 1945.

Photo: Seigman, Getty Images

U.S. Army soldiers inspect the control mechanism of a captured V-2... Photo-3536883.50016 - seattlepi.com

Soviet artillery Col. Georgiy Tyulin (left) and Sergey Korolev, the father of the Soviet space program, are shown in Germany in 1946, during V-2 recovery operations. After the end of the war, the Allies tried to gather as much information about the V-2 as possible. The United States recovered many rockets and documentation, and nearly all of the top engineers. The Soviets found about enough to rebuild 12 V-2s, and used this to develop their own version, dubbed the R-1. The first successful flight of the R-1 occurred on October 10, 1948. less

Soviet artillery Col. Georgiy Tyulin (left) and Sergey Korolev, the father of the Soviet space program, are shown in Germany in 1946, during V-2 recovery operations. After the end of the war, the Allies tried ... more

A captured German V-2 rocket is launched at the U.S. Army testing base at White Sands, New Mexico, on Aug. 18, 1946.

A captured German V-2 rocket is launched at the U.S. Army testing base at White Sands, New Mexico, on Aug. 18, 1946.

Photo: Fox Photos, Getty Images

A captured German V-2 rocket is launched at the U.S. Army testing... Photo-3536890.50016 - seattlepi.com

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Wernher von Braun and his the team are shown at Fort Bliss, Texas. Von Braun led about 120 of his colleagues from the German rocket program at
Peenemuende to the United States under a contract with the U.S. Army.
Over the next five years, the team worked on high-altitude firings of
the captured V-2 rockets at the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico,
and a guided missile development unit at Fort Bliss. The group
was transferred to the Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone Arsenal
in Huntsville, Alabama, in April 1950, and then to the newly created
NASA Marshall Space Flight Center. less

Wernher von Braun and his the team are shown at Fort Bliss, Texas. Von Braun led about 120 of his colleagues from the German rocket program at
Peenemuende to the United States under a contract with the U.S. ... more

Photo: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

Wernher von Braun and his the team are shown at Fort Bliss, Texas.... Photo-3536909.50016 - seattlepi.com

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The U.S. launches the first rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on July 24, 1950. The two-stage Bumper 2 was a V-2 missile topped with a WAC Corporal rocket. The upper stage was able to reach then-record altitudes of almost 240 miles. Bumper 2 was used primarily for testing rocket systems and research on the upper atmosphere. less

The U.S. launches the first rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on July 24, 1950. The two-stage Bumper 2 was a V-2 missile topped with a WAC Corporal rocket. The upper stage was able to reach then-record ... more

Photo: NASA

The U.S. launches the first rocket from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on... Photo-3536915.50016 - seattlepi.com

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The first Redstone rocket is fired at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Aug. 20, 1953. Redstone was the first major rocket development program for United States by Wernher von Braun's Peenemuende group.

The first Redstone rocket is fired at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Aug. 20, 1953. Redstone was the first major rocket development program for United States by Wernher von Braun's Peenemuende group.

Photo: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

The first Redstone rocket is fired at Cape Canaveral, Fla., on Aug.... Photo-3536902.50016 - seattlepi.com

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A Soviet R-2A rocket is shown in this undated photograph. The Soviets based their initial R-1 and R-2 missiles on the V-2.

A Soviet R-2A rocket is shown in this undated photograph. The Soviets based their initial R-1 and R-2 missiles on the V-2.

In a ceremony at Huntsville (Ala.) High School, 103 German-born scientists and engineers, along with family members, take the oath to become United States citizens on April 14, 1955. Wernher von Braun is third from the right side in the second row. less

In a ceremony at Huntsville (Ala.) High School, 103 German-born scientists and engineers, along with family members, take the oath to become United States citizens on April 14, 1955. Wernher von Braun is third ... more

Photo: NASA Marshall Space Flight Center

In a ceremony at Huntsville (Ala.) High School, 103 German-born... Photo-3536913.50016 - seattlepi.com

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The Soviet Union's Sputnik I became the first artificial satellite launched into orbit, on Oct. 4, 1957. The Sputnik rocket was a version of the R-7, the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile.

The Soviet Union's Sputnik I became the first artificial satellite launched into orbit, on Oct. 4, 1957. The Sputnik rocket was a version of the R-7, the world's first intercontinental ballistic missile.

Photo: OFF, AFP/Getty Images

The Soviet Union's Sputnik I became the first artificial... Photo-2564151.50016 - seattlepi.com

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Sputnik 2 is shown before launch on Nov. 3, 1957. It carried the first creature shot into space -- a dog named Layka. Rising temperatures due to thermal control problems killed Layka on the fourth day of the mission. less

Sputnik 2 is shown before launch on Nov. 3, 1957. It carried the first creature shot into space -- a dog named Layka. Rising temperatures due to thermal control problems killed Layka on the fourth day of the ... more

An undated picture shows the Saturn V Moon Rocket, the largest operational launch vehicle ever produced. After losing early space milestones to the Soviets, President John F. Kennedy famously issued a challenge to send people to the Moon and back before the end of the 1960s. Saturn V, designed under the direction of Wernher von Braun, carried all Apollo lunar missions, including Apollo 11, the first manned mission to the moon. less

An undated picture shows the Saturn V Moon Rocket, the largest operational launch vehicle ever produced. After losing early space milestones to the Soviets, President John F. Kennedy famously issued a challenge ... more

Obsolete Atlas missiles are shown wrapped and stacked side by side at Norton Air base,
Calif., on May 3, 1965, victims of the rapid technological advances of the Cold War. While the space race advanced science and boosted national prestige, increasingly sophisticated missiles and nuclear warheads multiplied our ability to annihilate each other from the across the globe. less

Obsolete Atlas missiles are shown wrapped and stacked side by side at Norton Air base,
Calif., on May 3, 1965, victims of the rapid technological advances of the Cold War. While the space race advanced ... more

U.S. Air Force maintenance crews use a overhead crane and hoist to remove and install warheads from the nose section of a Peacekeeper missile during training at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The development of multiple independent re-entry vehicles allowed one missile to carry many warheads that could strike different targets. less

U.S. Air Force maintenance crews use a overhead crane and hoist to remove and install warheads from the nose section of a Peacekeeper missile during training at Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The development ... more

Photo: SSGT Andy Dunaway/U.S. Air Force

U.S. Air Force maintenance crews use a overhead crane and hoist to... Photo-3536878.50016 - seattlepi.com

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Shock-absorbing tiles, which help the missile exit its canister, fall away as Peacekeeper is launched.

Shock-absorbing tiles, which help the missile exit its canister, fall away as Peacekeeper is launched.

Photo: U.S. Air Force

Shock-absorbing tiles, which help the missile exit its canister,... Photo-3536876.50016 - seattlepi.com